Connectors are widely used by the Electronics and Communication Industry to interconnect conductors and printed wiring circuit boards with backplane mounting apparatus used to interconnect the printed wiring circuit boards to form large complex electronic apparatus such as computers and telecommunication switching equipment. In the miniaturization of electronic apparatus, printed wiring circuit boards, hereinafter referred to as circuit boards, are being constructed with complex and high density circuit apparatus such as microprocessor chips that require a large number of conductor paths be established between the circuit board and backplane mounting apparatus. Typically, a microprocessor is assembled on a circuit board and is provided with a large number of contact terminals arranged in a high density row and column connector configuration. As the circuit board is inserted into backplane mounting apparatus the connector contacts engage corresponding high density male pin arrays of the backplane mounting apparatus and each connector contact terminal establishes an electrical connection between conductor paths of the circuit board and the male pins through the connector contact terminals.
A contact terminal characteristically has a pair of blades intended to receive a male pin with each blade having a bowed section directly opposed a bowed section of the other blade to engage the male pin. As the male pin is inserted in between the contact terminal blades the pin simultaneously engages both bowed sections and deflects the blades. A problem arises in that the total insertion force required to simultaneously deflect the contact terminal blades increases with the additional number of connector contact terminals required for high density circuit boards thereby causing damage to the backplane mounting pin arrays and increases the force required to insert and remove circuit boards from backplane mounting apparatus. In addition, the contact deflection force may well damage the miniature and fragile contact terminals and the male pins of the backplane mounting apparatus.
The foregoing and other problems are solved and a technical advance is achieved by a male pin terminal arranged to reduce the insertion force caused by the engagement of connector contact terminals with backplane mounting apparatus when circuit boards are inserted within the backplane mounting apparatus.